Train-order holder.



J. A. PERRY. TRAIN ORDER HOLDER.

APPLIOATIONIILED JAN. 7, 1910.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

2 SHEETSSEEET 1..

THE NumWS PETERS co WASHINGTON, 1 .c,

J. A;. PERRY.

TRAIN ORDER HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 7, 1910.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITE JAMES A. PERRY, 0F BIDWEEILL, IOWA.

TRAIN-ORDER HOLDER.

Application filed January .7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES A. PERRY, citizen of the United States, residing at Bidwell, in the county of VVapello and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Order Holders, of which the following is .a specification.

In the operation of railroad trains, it is well known that train order messages and the like are given to running trains by the telegraph operators who usually hold the train order, message, clearance and permission card or the like, in their fingers or secured to a hoop which is held out by the operator, a member of the crew of the passing train reaching out and slipping his arm through the hoop or grasping the order from the operator as the train travels by. On some systems," a hook is swung out from the caboose, for instance, to engage the hoop. It is manifest that the practice above outlined has serious disadvantages. For example, the operator is required to stand close to the passing and rapidly moving train and is therefore in a position of danger and the operation is furthermore insecure, as many of the hoops are dropped and the trainman for various other reasons fails to obtain the. message.

My present invent-ion has for its primary object an improved train order holder which will avoid the disadvantages above men tioned, and which, more specifically considered, will avoid the necessity of the telegraph operator standing close to the track and also avoid the necessity of using mechanical hoop catching appliances on any portion of the moving train, the invention consisting in a relatively stationary standard or post, of novel and useful formation and construction and arrangement of parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

The invention also consists in a device of this character which embodies an improved construction of hoop holding device which is permitted to swing in either direction and which will securely hold the hoop and at the same time permit it to be freely detached by the trainman assigned to such operation.

The invention also consists in a device of this character embodying an improved construction and arrangement of lantern holding device and screen, whereby the light may be thrown advantageously on the hoop to which the message is attached, while at the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

, 1910. Serial No. 536,839.

same time the trainmans eyes are shielded directly from the whitelight of the lantern, .and the operation of detaching the hoop is thereby rendered an easy one, the lantern holding device being also arranged so that it may be placed at either side of the screen, according to the direction from which the train is approaching. And the invention further consists in certain constructions and arrangements of the parts which will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in

which:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of my improved train order holder, showing one application thereof; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device, the lower part of the post or standard being broken away; Fig. 8 is a top plan view; and, Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the hoop holding device.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved train order holder embodies a post or standard 1.which may be of any desired construction or design and of any desired height, according to the height of the platform or the like upon which it rests,

it being, of course, understood that the height of the post will be proportioned to the relative height of the train platform or bumper upon which the trainman stands to receive the message. The standard 1 may be supported in any desired way and in the present instance I have for the purpose of illustration only, selected a tripod support 2 to which the lower end of the standard is connected.

A rod 3 is secured in and projects laterally from the standard 1, as clearly illustrated in the drawings, and on the outer end of this rod a hoop holder 4 is swung. This hoop holder is composed of a bar of any desired weight and size, suspended at a point above its middle, so as to have a tendency to be maintained in a true vertical plane, while at the same time being permitted to swing in either direction. To sustain the hoop holder 4. in a substantially vertical position as against the blowing of the wind, a coil spring encircles the rod 3 and bears frictionally against the holder 4, as shown.

The holder 4 is provided at its upper end, above its pivot, with a clasp 6. This clasp may be of any desired construction or design, but in the present instance is shown as embodying two hinged jaws 7 against which the free ends of leaf springs 8 bear with a tendency to move the jaws together, the opposite ends of said leaf or plate springs being secured in any desired Way to the holder. The clasp 6 is designed to receive between its jaws the handle end 9 of a hoop 10, and owing to the specific construction of the clasp with both jaws capable of yielding, and also owing to the pivotal suspension of the hoop holder 4:, it is obvious that the clasp will yield properly in either direction and permit the hoop 10 to be easily detached.

The hoop 10 is designed to hold the train order, clearance card or message of any character that is intended to be transmitted to the moving train, and it is to be understood that I may use anyof the ordinary hoops for this purpose or the particular hoop illustrated in the accompanying drawing which is constructed preferably of a single piece of wire with a free end 10 designed to be twisted around the main or body portion of the hoop so as to securely hold the message 11, as clearly illustrated in the drawing.

12 designates a screen which may be of any desired size and form and of any desired material. The screen 12 is secured to the standard 1 in any desired way and projects laterally therefrom in a direction opposite to the rod 3 on which the hoop holder 4 is mounted. Preferably, the screen is provided with transparent panels or lenses 13 which may be either white or red, or any other desired color, and which may be secured to the screen in any desired way. For instance, the screen may be provided with flanges 14 within which the glasses 13 may be easily slipped. It is to be understood that any number of these glasses may be employed.

15 designates a lantern holder which in the present instance is in the form of a rod as shown, secured at one end to the standard l, asby an angular end 16 which is slipped down into a socket 17 formed in the upper end of the standard, the main portion of the rod being designed to fit within either one of two obliquely extending grooves 18 also formed in the upper end of the standard, according to the particular side of the screen on which it is desired to hang the lantern.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation of my improved train order holder will be apparent. In the practical use of the device, a hoop with the message secured to it is secured to the clasp 6 and a lantern is supported on the rod or holder 15 back of the screen 12, that is, if the device be used at night. The entire device is, of course, set near the track with the hoop holder 4 nearest to the rail. As the train approaches and the trainman arrives opposite to the point where the device is located, he will insert his arm through the hoop, which may be easily detached from the clasp, as before noted. It will thus be seen that it is not necessary for the telegraph operator to standclose to the track when delivering the message, that the hoop may be easily detached no matter in which direction the train is going, that the hoop will be maintained in an operative position in a substantially Vertical plane so as to facilitate the insertion of the trainmans arm, and that at night the lantern being located back of the screen will throw its light directly on the hoop, while at the same time the white light of the lantern will not be shed directly in the trainmans eyes, which would be liable to blind him, the glass or glasses 13 also assisting in the operation of easily locating the hoop, as the trainman will know, as he sees the lenses at a distance, that the hoo is located between the lenses and the trac It is obvious that the device may be cheaply manufactured and the parts easily assembled and that they will not be liable l to get outof order, as they are strong and few in number and of simple construction.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A train order holder, embodying a standard, a screen secured to the standard and projecting to one side thereof, means for holding a lantern back of the screen, and a holding device supported by the standard on the opposite side thereof from the screen.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a standard, a screen secured to and projecting from one side of the standard, a lantern holder secured to the standard I and projecting therefrom back of the screen and at an oblique angle thereto, and a holding device supported by the standard and located on the opposite side thereof relative to the screen.

3. A device of the character described,

comprising a standard, a holding device supported by said standard on one side of the latter, a screensupported by the standard and projecting therefrom in a direction opposite to the holding device, and means for holding a lantern back of the screen.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a standard, a screen secured to said standard and projecting laterally to one side thereof, a holding device supported by the standard on the side opposite to the screen, the standard being provided at its upper end with a socket and With tWo obliquely disposed grooves extending out- Wardly from the socket on opposite sides of the screen, and a lantern holder consisting of a rod provided With an angular end adapted to fit in said socket, the main portion of the rod being adapted for enga ement in either of said grooves, as and or the purpose set forth.

5. A device of the character described,

comprising a standard, a rod projecting laterally from said standard, a counterbalanced hoop holder mounted to swing on said rod in either direction and provided with a clas and a s rin encirclin said rod and bearing against the holder.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JAMES A. PERRY. [L.S.] Witnesses:

WILL C. MILLER, J. C. JORDAN. 

